Once again I see the politics of envy and spite.

That the amount invested per child overall by state and federal governments is less on independently educated children than publicly educated children.

That privately eductated children get better results show that supporting private education means that for less expenditure the government get better results.

Even the labor government which is fundementally opposed to "elistist private schooling is not stupid enough to withdraw this subsidy. The consequences would be:

- They would have to find places for up to 50% more senior school places than they have presently as the huge No of low to mid range independent schools have to jack up their fees.

- The budget for education would have to increase dramatically

- The results for the country would plummet even further.

- The government would lose the next election in a landslide.

It would be similar to banning private health cover for being unfair to those that can't fund themselves.

The issuing of education vouchers would see the private schools get even more.

The way to fix education is to bring the public schools up to the level of the private schools, not bring the private schools down to the public school level.

Would someone please explain to me – and to everyone else – how it is fair that some children receive a better education than others?
How can some children have more rights to an excellent education than others?
Surely, every child is born to be as deserving as every other child.
What right does anyone have to deprive them all of the very best?
What has happened to equality?

An ever-increasing amount of public money is being poured into private schools in Australia while the public school sector languishes. The same thing is happening in Britain where the Blair government caved in to pressure from the increasing number of religious schools. The aspect which I find galling is that large sums of taxpayers' funds are being given to so-called Christian schools where the kids are taught that evolution theory is wrong and that God created the world in 6 days in about 4004BC,i.e., biblical (Genesis) literalism. In recent times the creationists have dressed up their biblical inerrancy ideas as "Intelligent Design" or I.D., which is taught as an opposing theory to evolution. I.D. is simply a religious belief. The situation is intolerable in an enlightened world where evolution theory forms the basis of the teaching of biological science in almost all schools and universities. Australia once had a proud public education system. Australia is a secular nation, and our public schools have always respected that ethos. The fact that taxpayers' money is being used to indoctrinate kids in some schools with creationist nonsense is deplorable.

Atlarak - it's possibly because teachers are not all exactly the same, if they were then the education would be the same regardless of school they went to.

It would be nice to find the very best teacher, and clone them, that way your point about why should some child miss out on the very best is solved. Impractical but such is life, a teacher can only handle a finite number of students at a time.

I suspect that private schools pay more for good teachers, the pay raises for teachers in the private sector are based on merit and thus they can attract the cream of the teachers and deal with ones permorming at less than optimal levels.

Why you can't do that in public schools is a question most parents ask and are shouted down by the teachers union if it goes any further.

I support Julie Gillard on this and her plan to rank schools and the teachers know this is one step closer to actually being evaluated on their skill and it horrifies them, doesn't it?

just a thought ..

phenologist writes

'the aspect which I find galling is that large sums of taxpayers' funds are being given to so-called Christian schools where the kids are taught that evolution theory is wrong and that God created the world in 6 days in about 4004BC,i.e., biblical (Genesis) literalism. '

Actually I am delighted in this. The tax payers money has been wasted for far to long teaching not the theory but the fantasy of evolution. Get over it and stop being bound by your secular dogmas. Try finding out what true science is about. Evolution certainly don't line up.

Throwing money at the public system is equivalent to the throwing money at dysfunctional communities. It employs many bureaucrats whose philosophies have created many of the problems and unfortunately the tax payer gets no return. The systems that worked are envied and criticized. At least Mr Rudd is smart enough to know this. No wonder so many 'secular' parents are bailing out of the zoos.

My questions are genuine.
How can it be fair that some children receive better education than others?
What right do we have to deprive any child of the very best education?